JP2023532119A - intermittent stagnation current - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of removing residual deposits from a reaction chamber includes supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS). The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber. Each streamline originates at an injection point for receiving cleaning gas and terminates at a chamber pump port coupled to a foreline for exhausting cleaning gas. Altering the flow characteristics of the cleaning gas and redirecting at least a portion of the streamlines of the gas flow to circulate proximate to the inner circumference of the reaction chamber to remove residual deposits or to be cleaned. promotes diffusion of cleaning species to the surface. The inner perimeter is arranged along one or more vertical planes of the reaction chamber that are orthogonal to the horizontal plane containing the injection point. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

[Priority claim]
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/705,519, filed July 1, 2020, which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to systems, methods, apparatus, and machine-readable media related to cleaning the interior surfaces of a reaction chamber from residual deposits using an intermittent stagnant flow of cleaning gas.

Semiconductor substrate processing equipment is used to process semiconductor substrates by techniques including etching, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD), pulsed deposition layer (PDL), plasma enhanced pulse deposition layer (PEPDL) processing, and resist removal.

During semiconductor substrate processing, the presence of precursor gases in the reaction chamber results in residual deposits on the interior surfaces of the chamber. For example, a reaction chamber may become covered with carbon residual deposits after an amorphous hard mask (AHM) process applied to the substrate. In conventional chamber cleaning techniques, a significant portion of cleaning gases introduced into the reaction chamber, such as remote plasma source (RPS) activated cleaning gas radical species (e.g., atomic oxygen or fluorine), exit the chamber before diffusing to the chamber surfaces and reacting with residual deposits on the chamber walls that need to be removed.

The background description presented herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the content of the present disclosure. Note that the information set forth in this background section is presented to provide those skilled in the art with some context regarding the subject matter of the following disclosure and should not be considered admitted prior art. More specifically, work by the presently named inventors to the extent described in this Background section, as well as aspects of the description that could not otherwise be considered prior art at the time of filing the application, are not admitted as prior art, express or implied, against the present disclosure.

Semiconductor substrate processing methods, systems, and computer programs are presented, including techniques related to heater design solutions for chemical delivery systems for chemical separation chambers used to process semiconductor substrates.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method of removing residual deposits from a reaction chamber includes supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS). The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber. Each gas stream streamline of the plurality of gas stream streamlines begins at an injection point fluidly coupled to the RPS for receiving cleaning gas and terminates at a chamber pump port coupled to a foreline for exhausting cleaning gas from the reaction chamber. At least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas (e.g., the effective pumping speed or pressure of the reaction chamber) is altered to redirect at least a portion of the plurality of gas flow streamlines to circulate proximate the inner circumference of the reaction chamber to remove residual deposits. The inner perimeter may be arranged along one or more vertical planes of the reaction chamber, the one or more vertical planes being orthogonal to the horizontal plane of the reaction chamber containing the injection point.

In another exemplary embodiment, a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus includes a remote plasma source (RPS) configured to generate a cleaning gas. The semiconductor substrate processing apparatus further includes a reaction chamber in which semiconductor substrates are processed and residual deposits are formed. The reaction chamber is fluidly coupled to a remote plasma source for supplying cleaning gas directly into the reaction chamber via a downtube. The semiconductor substrate processing apparatus further includes a pump fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber through the foreline. A pump is configured to control the exhaust of cleaning gas from the reaction chamber. The foreline may terminate at the chamber pump port of the reaction chamber. The semiconductor substrate processing apparatus further includes a gate valve fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and the pump through the foreline. The semiconductor substrate processing apparatus further includes a controller module coupled to the RPS, reaction chambers, gate valves, and pumps. The controller module is configured to cause the RPS to supply cleaning gas into the reaction chamber through the downtube. The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber. Each gas flow streamline of the plurality of gas flow streamlines originates at the injection point of the downtube and terminates at the chamber pump port. The controller module is configured to alter at least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas and redirect at least a portion of the streamlines of the plurality of gas streams to circulate proximate an inner circumference of the reaction chamber to remove residual deposits. The inner perimeter may be located on or adjacent to (or along) one or more vertical surfaces of the reaction chamber. The vertical plane or planes are planes orthogonal to the horizontal plane of the reaction chamber containing the injection point.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, a method of removing residual deposits from a reaction chamber includes supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS). The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber. A cleaning uniformity associated with removing residual deposits from the reaction chamber by the cleaning gas is detected. Based on the uniformity of cleaning, the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period of the gate valve of the reaction chamber are controlled to adjust the movement or position of the gas flow streamline in the reaction chamber and to adjust the effective pumping rate of the cleaning gas.

The various figures in the accompanying drawings merely depict exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be considered limiting of its scope.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an example substrate processing system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be used.

FIG. 2A is a functional block diagram of a reaction chamber of a substrate processing system capable of manipulating gas flow streamlines during a cleaning cycle to remove residual deposits, according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2B is a functional block diagram of a reaction chamber of a substrate processing system capable of manipulating gas flow streamlines during a cleaning cycle to remove residual deposits, according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2C is a functional block diagram of a reaction chamber of a substrate processing system capable of manipulating gas flow streamlines during a cleaning cycle to remove residual deposits, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a top view illustration of a reaction chamber having multiple pedestals that can be cleaned from residual deposits using techniques of the present disclosure, as well as slit valve ports and filler plates, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing slit valve ports and an inner perimeter along a vertical plane of a reaction chamber that can be cleaned from residual deposits using techniques of the present disclosure, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing variation of substrate average etch rate (as an indicator of residual deposit removal rate) versus chamber pressure, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a pressure-time history graph associated with variable chamber pressure due to intermittent stagnation gas flow inside the chamber, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing different etch rates as an indication of the cleaning rate of residual deposits on the perimeter of a test wafer for an intermittent stagnation flow of clean gas inside a reaction chamber, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of removing residual deposits, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another method of removing residual deposits, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a machine that may implement or control one or more exemplary method embodiments.

The following description includes systems, methods, techniques, sequences of instructions, and computer program products (eg, stored on machine-readable media) that embody exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are outlined in order to provide a thorough understanding of exemplary embodiments relating to intermittent stagnation flow of cleaning gas within a reaction chamber for removing residual deposits from surfaces of the reaction chamber. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

In this application, the terms "semiconductor wafer," "wafer," "substrate," "semiconductor substrate," and "wafer substrate" are used interchangeably. The terms "chamber," "reaction chamber," "deposition chamber," "reactor," "chemical separation chamber," "processing chamber," and "substrate processing chamber" are also used interchangeably.

One type of substrate processing apparatus includes a reaction chamber that includes upper and lower electrodes in which radio frequency (RF) power is applied between the electrodes to excite a process gas into a plasma for processing semiconductor substrates within the reaction chamber. Another type of substrate processing apparatus includes an ALD tool, which is a special type of CVD processing system in which an ALD reaction occurs between two or more chemical species introduced as process gases into a reaction chamber (e.g., an ALD reaction chamber). A CVD processing system can be configured to operate without the use of a plasma. However, plasma-enhanced CVD (or PE-CVD) processing systems are configured to operate using plasmas. Similarly, ALD processing systems can be configured to operate with or without plasma. Process gases (eg, precursor gases) are used (eg, during multiple ALD cycles) to form thin film depositions of materials on substrates, such as silicon wafers, such as those used in the semiconductor industry. Precursor gases are sequentially introduced into the ALD processing chamber from a gas source such that the gases react with the surface of the substrate to form a deposited layer upon bonding. For example, the substrate is typically exposed to a first chemical (or combination of chemicals) to form an adsorbed layer. Excess first chemical or chemicals are removed by pumping or purging. A second chemical (or combination of chemicals) is introduced to react with the adsorbed layer to form a deposited material layer. Two chemicals or combinations of chemicals are specifically selected to react with each other to form a deposited material layer. A more detailed description of the reaction chamber and substrate processing apparatus is provided in connection with FIG.

During processing of a substrate (eg, as processed in the reaction chamber shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, or 2C), residual deposits form on surfaces of the reaction chamber. Fluid simulations suggest that atomic oxygen (as well as other activated radical species used as residual deposit cleaning agents) are more likely to be drawn into the chamber pump ports than diffuse to outer regions of the chamber (e.g., slit valve ports, filler plates, or other structures located along the inner circumference of the chamber). The techniques disclosed herein, including periodically closing the chamber pump port, provide an intermittent stagnation flow of cleaning gas within the chamber that redirects the streamlines of the cleaning gas flow, thereby allowing the cleaning gas to diffuse to the outer regions of the chamber for more uniform removal of residual deposits.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an example substrate processing system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be used. Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary substrate processing system 100 is configured to perform deposition as shown. A PECVD substrate processing system is shown as system 100 . However, PEALD substrate processing systems or other substrate processing systems (eg, processing systems that do not use plasma for deposition or etching) may be used in conjunction with the cleaning techniques described herein. Substrate processing system 100 includes a reaction chamber 102 that houses other components of substrate processing system 100 and contains a plasma. The reaction chamber 102 includes a gas distributor 104 and a substrate support 106, such as an electrostatic chuck (ESC). During operation, substrate 108 is placed on substrate support 106 . In some embodiments, the substrate support can include one or more pedestals (eg, as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C).

In some embodiments, the gas distributor 104 may include a powered showerhead 109 that acts as an electrode to distribute the process gas across the substrate 108 and apply an RF field to induce ion bombardment. Showerhead 109 may include a stem portion including one end connected to the top surface of reaction chamber 102 . The base portion is generally cylindrical and extends radially outwardly from opposite ends of the stem portion at a location spaced from the upper surface of reaction chamber 102 . The substrate-facing surface or faceplate of the base portion of showerhead 109 includes a plurality of distribution holes through which process gas (or gases) flow. Gas distributor 104 may be made of a metallic material and may act as a top electrode. Alternatively, gas distribution device 104 may be made of non-metallic materials and may include embedded electrodes. In other embodiments, the top electrode may include a conductive plate and the process gas may be introduced in another manner.

Substrate support 106 includes a conductive baseplate 110 that acts as a bottom electrode. A base plate 110 supports a heating plate 112, which may correspond to a ceramic multi-zone heating plate. A thermal resistance layer 114 may be disposed between the heating plate 112 and the base plate 110 . Baseplate 110 may include one or more coolant channels 116 for channeling coolant through baseplate 110 .

A radio frequency (RF) generation system 120 generates and outputs an RF voltage to one of the upper electrode (eg, gas distributor 104) and the lower electrode (eg, base plate 110 of substrate support 106). The other of the top and bottom electrodes may be direct current (DC) grounded, alternating current (AC) grounded at 143, or may be floating. In some embodiments, RF generation system 120 may provide dual frequency power including a high frequency (HF) generator 121 and a low frequency (LF) generator 122 that generate HF and LF power (at predetermined frequencies and power levels, respectively) that are supplied to the upper or lower electrode (or showerhead) by matching and distribution network 124.

A chemical delivery system 130 (also called a chemical delivery module) includes process gas sources 132-1, 132-2, . . . , and 132-N (collectively, process gas sources 132), where N is an integer greater than zero. Process gas sources are connected to corresponding valves 134-1, 134-2, . . . , and 134-N (eg, via multiple gas lines).

Process gas source 132 supplies one or more process gas mixtures, dopants, carrier gases, liquid precursors, precursor gases, cleaning gases, and/or purge gases. In some examples, the chemical delivery system 130 supplies precursor gases such as tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) gas, a mixture of gases including oxygen species during deposition and argon (Ar) gas, and dopants including triethyl phosphate (TEPO) and/or triethyl borate (TEB). In some embodiments, dopant diffusion occurs from the gas phase. For example, a carrier gas (e.g., nitrogen, argon, or the like) is supplied to the silicon wafer, which can be enriched and concentration-balanced with desired dopants (also in gaseous form, e.g., triethyl phosphate (TEPO) and/or triethyl borate (TEB)). In subsequent steps, the wafer may be placed in a quartz tube that is heated to a specific temperature.

Returning to FIG. 1, the process gas source 132 is connected to a mixing manifold 140 which is in fluid communication with the reaction chamber 102 by means of valves 134-1, 134-2, . The process gases are supplied to mixing manifold 140 and mixed therein. The output of mixing manifold 140 is supplied to reaction chamber 102 (eg, via a downtube). In some aspects, the mixing manifold is heated to a predetermined temperature to deliver precursor gases to the reaction chamber at a particular temperature (or temperature range). In some embodiments, the output of mixing manifold 140 is supplied to showerhead 109 . Secondary purge gas 170 may be supplied to processing chamber 102 , such as behind showerhead 109 , via valve 172 and MFC 174 . Mix manifold 140 is shown separately. However, mixing manifold 140 may be part of chemical delivery system 130 .

The temperature controller 142 may be connected to a plurality of thermal control elements (TCEs) 144 located on the heating plate 112 . For example, the TCEs 144 may include, but are not limited to, respective macro TCEs corresponding to each zone of the multi-zone heating plate and/or an array of micro TCEs arranged across multiple zones of the multi-zone heating plate. A temperature controller 142 may be used to control the plurality of TCEs 144 to control the temperature of the substrate support 106 and substrate 108 . FIG. 1 shows a TCE in a substrate support structure. However, the present disclosure is not limited in this respect and the TCE may be configured in other areas of the chamber (eg, the chamber walls). Such TCEs configured in the chamber walls can control the temperature of the chamber walls, thereby inhibiting deposition and assisting the chamber cleaning techniques described herein (e.g., by increasing the reactivity of cleaning gases reaching the walls).

Temperature controller 142 may communicate with coolant assembly 146 to control coolant flow through channel 116 . For example, coolant assembly 146 may include a coolant pump and reservoir. Temperature controller 142 operates coolant assembly 146 to selectively flow coolant through channels 116 to cool substrate support 106 . A valve 150 (eg, a gate valve) and a pump 152 (eg, an exhaust pump) may be used to control pressure and exhaust reactants from the processing chamber 102 . In an exemplary embodiment (eg, as shown in FIG. 2C), the reaction chamber may include multiple gate valves (or other types of valves) for exhausting reactants from the chamber.

The system controller 160 may be used to control components of the substrate processing system 100, including dynamically monitoring and adjusting the surface temperature of the heating elements of the gas lines within the chemical delivery system 130, as well as performing control functions related to removing residual deposits within the reaction chamber (e.g., controlling the duration of the opening and closing periods of one or more gate valves of the chamber, the pressure within the chamber, etc.), as described herein. System controller 160 can also perform pressure control functions, such as monitoring and regulating the pressure within reaction chamber 102 . Temperature controller 142 is shown as a separate controller. However, temperature controller 142 may be implemented within system controller 160 .

In an exemplary embodiment, reaction chamber 102 may include residue sensors 176 and 178, which may be mounted on one or more surfaces of the chamber. In an exemplary embodiment, the residue sensor may be configured to change surface color when residue is deposited on the residue sensor. Alternatively, these sensors can be designed to measure the thickness of residue deposited on the sensor. In this regard, residue sensors 176 and 178 may include optical sensors and may provide information regarding sensed surface color or any other physical characteristic indicative of the amount of residue present within the chamber. In some embodiments, residue sensors 176 and 178 may include substrate tags (e.g., portions of the substrate) with optical sensors that can detect residual deposits on the tags and report detected residual deposits (e.g., thickness of residual deposits on the substrate tags) to a controller module (e.g., system controller 160) configured to control uniformity of cleaning within the reaction chamber. For example, system controller 160 can detect the uniformity of cleaning within reaction chamber 102 based on residual deposit information received from residual sensors 176 and 178 . The system controller 160 can control at least one flow characteristic of a cleaning gas introduced into the reaction chamber to redirect the streamlines of the gas flow along surfaces of the reaction chamber to achieve cleaning uniformity associated with removing residual deposits. In some aspects, the system controller 160 can control the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period of the valve 150 (and/or one or more additional gate valves) of the reaction chamber 102 to adjust the movement or position of the gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber, adjust the effective pumping speed of the chamber, and increase cleaning uniformity associated with removing residual deposits on chamber surfaces. In another exemplary embodiment, system controller 160 can dynamically adjust the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period of valve 150 based on the uniformity of cleaning within the chamber (e.g., based on residual deposit information from residue sensors 176 and 178) or based on maintaining the pressure within the chamber within a certain range (e.g., opening valve 150 when pressure reaches an upper threshold and closing valve 150 when pressure reaches a lower threshold). Exemplary embodiments of reaction chambers associated with residual deposit removal are described with respect to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C.

2A, 2B, and 2C are functional block diagrams of a reaction chamber of a substrate processing system in which gas flow streamlines may be manipulated during a cleaning cycle to remove residual deposits, according to exemplary embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2A, FIG. 200A shows reaction chamber 206, which may be part of a substrate processing system, similar to substrate processing system 100 of FIG. In an exemplary embodiment, reaction chamber 206 may include multiple pedestals (e.g., pedestals 212 and 214) arranged around spindle hub 216, each pedestal usable to support a substrate within reaction chamber 206. FIG. 2A shows two pedestals. However, the present disclosure is not limited in this regard, and reaction chamber 206 may include various numbers of pedestals (eg, four pedestals as shown in FIG. 3). The reaction chamber 206 further includes showerheads 218 and 220 arranged along a horizontal plane 234 of the chamber.

Reaction chamber 206 further includes filler plates 222 and 224 and residue sensors 236 and 238 , all disposed along vertical surfaces 230 and 232 of reaction chamber 206 . As shown in FIG. 2A, vertical planes 230 and 232 are substantially orthogonal to horizontal plane 234 . Residue sensors 236 and 238 are functionally similar to residue sensors 176 and 178 described in connection with FIG. Filler plates 222 and 224 can be positioned proximate pedestals 212 and 214 and are used to improve gas flow uniformity within reaction chamber 206 .

Reaction chamber 206 further includes chamber pump port 228 fluidly coupled to gate valve 208 and pump 210 via foreline 229 . Gate valve 208 and pump 210 are functionally similar to valve 150 and pump 152 of FIG.

Reaction chamber 206 is configured to receive cleaning gas generated by remote plasma source (RPS) 204 using process gas 202 . For example, RPS 204 can use process gas 202 to generate a cleaning gas that includes activated radical species (eg, atomic oxygen or fluorine). The cleaning gas is fed into reaction chamber 206 via downtube 205 , which terminates at injection point 226 located on horizontal surface 234 of reaction chamber 206 . In another embodiment, cleaning gas is supplied into reaction chamber 206 through showerheads 218 and 220 .

In operation, gate valve 208 is open and pump 210 is pumping chamber 206 continuously, as shown in FIG. 2A. A cleaning gas is supplied into the chamber 206 from the RPS 204 through the down tube 205 . In this regard, a plurality of gas flow streamlines 232 of cleaning gas are generated, each of which originates at injection point 226 and terminates at chamber pump port 228 which is fluidly coupled to gate valve 208 and pump 210 via foreline 229. Because gate valve 208 is continuously open, multiple gas flow streamlines 232 tend to form along the path of least obstruction between injection point 226 and chamber pump port 228 . For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, most of the plurality of gas flow streamlines 232 pass through gaps located between spindle hub 216 and pedestals 212 and 214 and between pedestal 212 and filler plate 222 . As a result, residual deposits within the reaction chamber 206 are not uniformly cleaned, particularly in areas where the gas flow streamlines 232 do not pass and the cleaning gas is not diffused near such areas (e.g., areas along the vertical surfaces 230 and 232).

FIG. 2B shows a view 200B of reaction chamber 206 during intermittent stagnation flow of cleaning gas when gate valve 208 is temporarily closed but cleaning gas is still introduced into chamber 206 via injection point 226. In an exemplary embodiment, cleaning uniformity associated with removing residual deposits can be achieved by altering at least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas introduced into the reaction chamber 206 to redirect at least a portion of the plurality of gas flow streamlines 240 toward a plurality of surfaces of the reaction chamber, as shown in FIG. , including around the vertical walls 230 and 232 of the reaction chamber 206). The inner perimeter is shown in more detail in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.

In an exemplary embodiment, at least one flow characteristic is the effective pumping speed of reaction chamber 206 . More specifically, the system controller 160 can be configured to control the duration of the open period and the closed period of the gate valve 208, the gate valve 208 being open during the open period and closed during the closed period to allow the pump 210 to exhaust the cleaning gas from the reaction chamber. From another point of view, the control parameter can in this case be considered not only the ratio of off-time to on-time, but also the frequency of off-on cycles. In an exemplary embodiment, the duration of the opening period and the duration of the closing period of the gate valve are each between about 1 second and about 2 seconds.

As shown in FIG. 2B, when the gate valve 208 is closed, the plurality of gas stream streamlines 240 are redirected toward more interior surfaces of the reaction chamber, including vertical surfaces 230 and 232, than the plurality of gas stream streamlines 232 of FIG. 2A when the gate valve 208 is open. Additionally, the cleaning gas 242 diffuses to most structures and surfaces within the reaction chamber 206 as the cleaning gas continues to enter the reaction chamber and the pressure within the chamber increases, resulting in better cleaning uniformity and higher residual deposit removal.

In an exemplary embodiment, system controller 160 can receive sensor information from residue sensors 236 and 238 to detect cleaning uniformity within reaction chamber 206 . In exemplary embodiments, residue sensors 236 and 238 can be mounted on vertical surfaces 230 and 232 in close proximity to one or more filler plates (e.g., filler plates 222 and 224) or one or more slit valve ports (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) of the reaction chamber. Residual sensors 236 and 238 can monitor residual deposits (eg, thickness or presence of residual deposits) near the areas in which they are mounted and can provide sensor information to system controller 160 . The system controller 160 controls the duration of open and closed periods of the pump 210 based on sensor information indicative of cleaning uniformity and residual deposits remaining. In an exemplary embodiment, the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period may be dynamically configured (eg, based on sensor information from residue sensors 236 and 238).

In an exemplary embodiment, at least one flow characteristic is the pressure within reaction chamber 206 during delivery of cleaning gas 242 . More specifically, the system controller 160 can configure and control the duration of the opening period and the duration of the closing period of the reaction chamber gate valve (e.g., based on sensor information from the residue sensors 236 and 238) to regulate the pressure within the reaction chamber 206 such that the pressure within the reaction chamber 206 remains within the lower and upper thresholds. For example, the system controller 160 can initiate a closing period of the gate valve 208 (eg, close the gate valve 208) when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches a lower threshold. Similarly, system controller 160 can initiate an opening period of gate valve 208 (eg, open gate valve 208) when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches an upper threshold. In an exemplary embodiment, the lower and upper thresholds may be dynamically configured (eg, based on sensor information from residue sensors 236 and 238). In an exemplary embodiment, the lower threshold is approximately 1.2 Torr and the upper threshold is approximately 6 Torr.

In an exemplary embodiment, when the gate valve is closed, the cleaning gas is diffused to the chamber walls, while when the gate valve is open, the cleaning gas is pumped before it has a chance to diffuse to the sides of the chamber. In this regard, the oscillation between the opening and closing of the gate valve (or valve), as well as the duration of each opening and closing period, can be based on the degree of diffusion of the cleaning gas near the chamber walls (which can be monitored or detected via sensors).

FIG. 2C shows a view 200C of a reaction chamber 206 containing multiple gate valves. For example, FIG. 2C shows reaction chamber 206 with gate valves 208 , 244 , 246 , and 248 . A gate valve 244 can be positioned at the opposite end of gate valve 208 and in the same horizontal plane as reaction chamber 206 . Gate valve 246 can be positioned along vertical plane 230 and get valve 248 can be positioned along vertical plane 232 . FIG. 2C shows reaction chamber 206 as having four separate gate valves. However, the disclosure is not limited in this respect, and reaction chamber 206 may include various numbers of gate valves (eg, one or more). In an exemplary embodiment, all gate valves 208, 244, 246, and 248 may be fluidly coupled to pump 210, or each gate valve may be fluidly coupled to its pump. Here, all pumps are managed by system controller 160 . These valves can be opened and closed simultaneously or in a sequential sequence to allow redistribution of streamlines that may be required to improve chamber cleaning.

In an exemplary embodiment, system controller 160 is independently configurable for the duration of the open and closed periods for each of the gate valves based on the uniformity of cleaning and the presence of residual deposits within reaction chamber 206 . For example, one or more residue sensors can be placed on the surface proximate each of the gate valves, and the system controller 160 can independently configure the duration of each gate valve based on sensing information from the residue sensors. Alternatively, the duration can be preconfigured (eg, based on the substrate etch rate as an indication of the uniformity of cleaning within the reaction chamber 206, as described in connection with FIGS. 5, 6, and 7). In an exemplary embodiment, the system controller 160 can oscillate while opening at least two of the gate valves shown in FIG. 2C and can adjust the streamline pattern to have a different streamline pattern when pumping the chamber from the side than when pumping from the bottom.

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a top view of a reaction chamber 300 with multiple pedestals that can be cleaned from residual deposits using techniques of the present disclosure, as well as slit valve ports and filler plates, according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the reaction chamber includes pedestals 302, 304, 306, and 308 configured to support a substrate during processing within the chamber. FIG. 3 further shows filler plates 312 , 314 , 316 , and 318 arranged along the vertical plane of reaction chamber 300 . In addition, FIG. 3 shows slit valve ports 320 and 322 that are also arranged along the vertical plane of the reaction chamber 300 and are used to allow substrates to be moved into and out of the reaction chamber 300 .

In an exemplary embodiment, residue sensors can be placed on the vertical surface of reaction chamber 300 in close proximity to filler plates 312 - 318 and slit valve ports 320 and 322 . For example, residue sensors (eg, residue sensors 236 and 238 ) can be positioned along inner perimeter 324 of reaction chamber 300 . A perspective view of inner perimeter 324 is shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view 400 showing slit valve ports and inner perimeter along a vertical plane of a reaction chamber 300 that can be cleaned from residual deposits using techniques of the present disclosure, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, slit valve port 320 (as well as slit valve port 322 not visible in FIG. 4) is located on vertical surface 402 of reaction chamber 300 . Vertical plane 402 (which may be one of vertical planes 230 or 232 in FIG. 2) is orthogonal to horizontal plane 404 of the reaction chamber containing spindle hub 310 and pedestals 306 and 308 . In an exemplary embodiment, the techniques disclosed herein can be used to alter at least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas to redirect at least a portion of the streamlines of the plurality of gas streams within the reaction chamber to circulate proximate an inner perimeter 324 disposed along a vertical surface (e.g., vertical surface 402) of the reaction chamber.

FIG. 5 is a graph 500 showing variation in substrate average etch rate (as an indicator of residual deposit removal rate) versus chamber pressure, according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, graph 500 shows that the average etch rate of a substrate within a reaction chamber decreases as chamber pressure increases. Since the average substrate etch rate can be used as an indicator of the removal rate of residual deposits in the reaction chamber, the inverse dependence between the average substrate etch rate and the chamber pressure can be used to configure the duration of the gate valve opening and closing periods, as well as the lower and upper thresholds for the reaction chamber pressure.

FIG. 6 is a pressure-time history graph 600 associated with variable chamber pressure due to intermittent stagnation gas flow inside the chamber, according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 6, a pressure-time history graph 600 is associated with exemplary operation of a gate valve duty cycle that causes an intermittent stagnation flow of cleaning gas within the reaction chamber to trigger uniform cleaning of residual deposits. More specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, the gate valve idle time (e.g., the time between valve opening and closing) can be held constant at about 2 seconds, and the initial reaction chamber pressure can be set at about 1.2 Torr (e.g., the lower threshold). In an exemplary embodiment, the upper threshold can be set at approximately 5.5 or 6 Torr. However, it is also possible to use other values for the lower and upper thresholds. In another exemplary embodiment, the system controller 160 may configure only the duration of the opening and closing period of the gate valve (without setting specific values for the lower and upper thresholds).

FIG. 7 is a graph 700 showing different etch rates as an indicator of residual deposit cleaning rate using different configurations for intermittent stagnation flow of clean gas inside the reaction chamber, according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7, subgraph 702 is a baseline graph representing the dependence of substrate etch rate along the diameter of the substrate when the gate valve is always open and there is no manipulation of the gate valve duty cycle (e.g., cycling the gate valve between open and closed states). Subgraph 704 is a graph representing the dependence of the etch rate along the diameter of the substrate on cleaning cycles (i.e., the gate valve is opened and closed nine times) based on nine pulsings (or duty cycle operations) of the gate valve, with a closed state duration of about 1 second and an upper threshold reaction chamber pressure of about 6 Torr. Subgraph 706 is a graph representing the dependence of the substrate etch rate along the diameter of the substrate on cleaning cycles (i.e., the gate valve is opened and closed six times) based on six pulsing (or duty cycle manipulations) of the gate valve, with a closed state duration of about 3 seconds and an upper threshold reaction chamber pressure of about 7 Torr. In an exemplary embodiment, the system controller 160 can set the duration of the gate valve opening and closing period or the upper chamber pressure threshold based on the processing parameters used to derive the subgraphs 704 or 706 .

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method 800 of removing residual deposits, according to an exemplary embodiment. Method 800 includes operations 802, 804, and 806 that may be performed by control logic (or that control logic causes other modules to configure or perform functions), such as system controller 160 of FIG.

At operation 802, a cleaning gas is supplied into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS). For example, cleaning gas 242 is supplied into reaction chamber 206 via downtube 205 with injection point 226 . The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines (eg, gas flow streamlines 232) within the reaction chamber. Each gas stream streamline of the plurality of gas stream streamlines begins at an injection point (e.g., injection point 226) fluidly coupled to the RPS for receiving cleaning gas and terminates at a chamber pump port (e.g., chamber pump port 228) coupled to a foreline (e.g., foreline 229) for exhausting cleaning gas from the reaction chamber.

At operation 804, at least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas is altered to redirect at least a portion of the streamlines of the plurality of gas streams to circulate proximate to the inner circumference of the reaction chamber to remove residual deposits. For example, at least one flow characteristic (eg, the effective pumping rate of the reaction chamber) is adjusted to redirect at least a portion of the plurality of gas flow streamlines 240 to the inner circumference (eg, inner circumference 324). The inner perimeter may be arranged along one or more vertical planes of the reaction chamber (e.g., surfaces 230 and 232), and the one or more vertical planes are orthogonal to a horizontal plane of the reaction chamber containing the injection point (e.g., surface 234).

In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one flow characteristic is the effective pumping speed of the reaction chamber. In operation 806, the duration of the opening period and the duration of the closing period of the reaction chamber gate valve are controlled (e.g., by system controller 160) to adjust the movement or position of the gas flow streamlines in the reaction chamber and to adjust the effective pumping speed. Here the gate valve is open during the opening period and closed during the closing period. For example, system controller 160 may configure the duration of the opening and closing periods of gate valve 208 based on sensor information from residue sensors 236 and 238, for example.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another method 900 of removing residual deposits, according to an exemplary embodiment. Method 900 includes operations 902, 904, and 906 that may be performed by control logic (or that control logic causes other modules to configure or perform functions), such as system controller 160 of FIG.

In operation 902, a cleaning gas is supplied into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS), the cleaning gas forming a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber. For example, cleaning gas 242 is supplied into reaction chamber 206 via downtube 205 with injection point 226 . The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines (eg, gas flow streamlines 232) within the reaction chamber. Each gas stream streamline of the plurality of gas stream streamlines begins at an injection point (e.g., injection point 226) fluidly coupled to the RPS for receiving cleaning gas and terminates at a chamber pump port (e.g., chamber pump port 228) coupled to a foreline (e.g., foreline 229) for exhausting cleaning gas from the reaction chamber.

At operation 904, the cleaning uniformity associated with removing residual deposits from the reaction chamber by the cleaning gas is detected. For example, system controller 160 may use sensor information from residue sensors 236 and 238 to determine the amount of residue deposits and cleaning uniformity in the reaction chamber.

In operation 906, based on the cleaning uniformity, control the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period of the gate valve of the reaction chamber to adjust the movement or position of the gas flow streamline in the reaction chamber and to adjust the effective pumping rate of the cleaning gas. For example, system controller 160 controls the duration of the opening and closing periods of gate valve 208 based on the cleaning uniformity determined using the sensor information.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example machine 1000 in which one or more exemplary method embodiments may be practiced or controlled by one or more exemplary embodiments. In alternative embodiments, machine 1000 may operate as a stand-alone device or may be connected (eg, networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, machine 1000 may operate within the capabilities of a server machine, a client machine, or both in a server-client network environment. In one example, machine 1000 may operate as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. Further, although only a single machine 1000 is shown, the term "machine" should be construed to include any collection of machines that individually or collectively execute a set (or sets of instructions) to perform any one or more of the methodologies described herein, such as through cloud computing, software as a service (SaaS), or other computer cluster configurations.

The embodiments described herein may include or operate by logic, some component, or mechanism. A circuit configuration is a collection of circuits implemented in tangible objects including hardware (eg, simple circuits, gates, logic). Circuitry membership may be adaptive over time and to variations in the underlying hardware. Circuitry includes elements that, alone or in combination, are capable of performing specified operations when operated. In one example, circuitry hardware may be immutably designed (eg, hardwired) to perform a particular operation. In one example, circuitry hardware may include variably connected physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple circuits) comprising a computer-readable medium that is physically modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, by moveable placement of invariant mass particles, etc.) to encode instructions for specific operations. In connecting physical components, the electrical properties of the underlying hardware components are changed (eg, from insulator to conductor or vice versa). Instructions allow embedded hardware (eg, an execution unit or load mechanism) to create circuitry elements in hardware through variable connections to perform some specified operation during operation. Thus, the computer-readable medium is communicatively coupled to other components of the circuitry when the device is operating. In some aspects, any of the physical components may be used in multiple elements of multiple circuit configurations. For example, during operation, an execution unit may be used by a first circuit of a first circuitry at one point in time, and reused by a second circuit in the first circuitry or a third circuit in the second circuitry at a different point in time.

A machine (e.g., computer system) 1000 may include a hardware processor 1002 (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), hardware processor core, graphics processing unit (GPU), or any combination thereof), main memory 1004, and static memory 1006, some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., bus) 1008. Machine 1000 may further include a display device 1010, an alphanumeric input device 1012 (eg, keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 1014 (eg, mouse). In one example, display device 1010, alphanumeric input device 1012, and UI navigation device 1014 may be touch screen displays. Machine 1000 may further include mass storage devices (eg, drives) 1016 , signal generators 1018 (eg, speakers), network interface devices 1020 , and one or more sensors 1021 . Machine 1000 may include an output controller 1028, such as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC)) connection to communicate with or control one or more peripherals (e.g., printers, card readers).

In an exemplary embodiment, the hardware processor 1002 may execute the functionality of the system controller 160 or any control logic described herein above to configure and control the functionality described herein, such as configuring intermittent stagnation flows of cleaning gas associated with removing residual deposits from the reaction chamber (eg, as described with respect to at least FIGS. 1-9).

The mass storage device 1016 may include a machine-readable medium 1022 on which is stored one or more data structures or sets of instructions 1024 (e.g., software) embodied or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. Instructions 1024 may also reside entirely or at least partially within main memory 1004 , within static memory 1006 , or within hardware processor 1002 during execution of instructions 1024 by machine 1000 . In one example, one or any combination of hardware processor 1002, main memory 1004, static memory 1006, or mass storage device 1016 may constitute a machine-readable medium.

Although machine-readable medium 1022 is depicted as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., centralized or distributed databases and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store one or more instructions 1024.

The term "machine-readable medium" may include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or transmitting instructions 1024 for execution by machine 1000, causing machine 1000 to perform any one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or storing, encoding, or transmitting data structures used in or associated with such instructions 1024. Non-limiting examples of machine-readable media may include solid-state memory, and optical and magnetic media. In one example, a mass machine-readable medium includes machine-readable medium 1022 having a plurality of particles with constant (eg, static) mass. Therefore, a mass machine-readable medium is not a transient propagating signal. Examples of high-capacity machine-readable media may include semiconductor memory devices (e.g., electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices, non-volatile memory, magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Instructions 1024 may also be sent or received over communication network 1026 via network interface device 1020 using a transmission medium.

Prior art implementations may be accomplished with any number of specifications, configurations, or exemplary deployments of hardware and software. It should be understood that functional units or capabilities described herein may be referred to or labeled as components or modules to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. Such components may be embodied in any number of software or hardware forms. For example, components or modules may be implemented as hardware circuits comprising custom very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A component or module may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices or the like. Components or modules may also be implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified component or module of executable code may, for example, comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions which may be organized as an entity, procedure, or function. However, the executables of the identified components or modules need not be physically located together and may contain disparate instructions stored in different locations, which when logically combined may constitute the component or module and achieve the stated purpose of the component or module.

Indeed, a component or module of executable code may be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed across several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices or processing systems. In particular, some aspects of the described processes (such as code rewriting and code analysis) may be performed on a different processing system (e.g., in a computer in a data center) than the processing system on which the code is deployed (e.g., in a computer embedded in a sensor or robot). Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within components or modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. Operational data may be collected as a single data set or distributed in different locations, including on different storage devices, and may, at least in part, simply exist as electronic signals on a system or network. Components or modules may be passive or active and include agents operable to perform desired functions.

Supplementary Notes and Examples

Example 1 is a method of removing residual deposits from a reaction chamber. The method includes supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS). The cleaning gas forms a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber, each gas flow streamline of the plurality of gas flow streamlines originating at an injection point fluidly coupled to the RPS for receiving the cleaning gas and terminating at a chamber pump port coupled to a foreline for exhausting the cleaning gas from the reaction chamber. At least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas is altered to redirect at least a portion of streamlines of the plurality of gas streams to circulate proximate an inner circumference of the reaction chamber to remove the residual deposits. The inner circumference is arranged along one or more vertical planes of the reaction chamber, and the one or more vertical planes are orthogonal to horizontal planes of the reaction chamber containing the injection point.

In embodiment 2, the subject matter of embodiment 1, wherein said at least one flow characteristic is an effective pumping rate of said reaction chamber, said method controlling an open period duration and a closed period duration of a gate valve of said reaction chamber to regulate said effective pumping rate, further comprising said gate valve being fluidly coupled to said foreline and a pump configured to effect said evacuation of said cleaning gas, said gate valve opening during said opening period and closing during said closing period. Including.

In Example 3, the duration of the opening period of the gate valve of the subject matter according to Example 2 is between about 1 second and about 2 seconds.

In Example 4, the subject matter described in Examples 2-3 includes detecting cleaning uniformity associated with removing the residual deposits from the reaction chamber, and controlling the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period based on the detected uniformity of cleaning.

In Example 5, the subject matter recited in Example 4 includes the subject matter according to Example 4, wherein detecting uniformity of the cleaning comprises monitoring the residual deposit proximate one or more filler plates of the reaction chamber, wherein the one or more filler plates are disposed at least partially on the one or more vertical surfaces.

In Example 6, the subject matter described in Examples 4-5 includes the subject matter according to Examples 4-5, wherein detecting the cleaning uniformity comprises monitoring the residual deposit proximate one or more slit valve ports of the reaction chamber, wherein the slit valve ports are disposed at least partially on the one or more vertical surfaces.

In Example 7, the subject matter described in Examples 4-6 includes the subject matter wherein detecting uniformity of the cleaning comprises detecting a thickness of the residual deposit using at least one residue sensor, wherein the at least one residue sensor is mounted on the one or more vertical surfaces of the reaction chamber; and controlling the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period based on the detected thickness of the residual deposit.

In Example 8, the subject matter according to Examples 1-7, wherein said at least one flow characteristic is pressure within said reaction chamber during delivery of said cleaning gas, and wherein said method comprises controlling the duration of an open period and the duration of a closed period of a gate valve of said reaction chamber to regulate said pressure within said reaction chamber, said gate valve being fluidly coupled to said foreline and a pump configured to effect said evacuation of said cleaning gas, said gate valve during said opening period. A subject that opens and closes during said closed period.

In Example 9, the subject matter described in Example 8 includes initiating the closing period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches a lower threshold and initiating the opening period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches an upper threshold.

In Example 10, the lower threshold of the subject matter described in Example 9 is about 1.2 Torr and the upper threshold is about 6 Torr.

Example 11 is a semiconductor substrate processing apparatus. The apparatus comprises: a remote plasma source (RPS) configured to generate a cleaning gas; a reaction chamber in which a semiconductor substrate is processed and residual deposits are formed, the reaction chamber being fluidly coupled to the remote plasma source for supplying the cleaning gas directly into the reaction chamber via a downtube; a pump terminating in a chamber pump port; a gate valve fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and the pump via the foreline; and a controller module coupled to the RPS, the reaction chamber, the gate valve, and the pump, wherein the controller module causes the RPS to supply the cleaning gas into the reaction chamber via the downtube, the cleaning gas forming a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber, each gas flow streamline of the plurality of gas flow streamlines being: a controller module configured starting at an injection point of the downtube and terminating at the chamber pump port to alter at least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas and redirect at least a portion of streamlines of the plurality of gas streams to circulate proximate an inner perimeter of the reaction chamber to remove the residual deposits, the inner perimeter being disposed along one or more vertical planes of the reaction chamber, the one or more vertical planes being orthogonal to a horizontal plane of the reaction chamber containing the injection point; Prepare.

In Example 12, the subject matter recited in Example 11 includes the subject matter wherein the at least one flow characteristic is an effective pumping rate of the reaction chamber, and wherein the controller module is further configured to control an open period duration and a closed period duration of the gate valve of the reaction chamber to regulate the effective pumping speed of the reaction chamber, wherein the gate valve opens during the open period and closes during the closed period.

In Example 13, the duration of the opening period of the gate valve of the subject matter according to Example 12 is between about 1 second and about 2 seconds.

In Example 14, the subject matter of Examples 12-13 includes the subject matter of Examples 12-13, wherein the controller module is further configured to detect cleaning uniformity associated with removing the residual deposits from the reaction chamber and control the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period based on the detected uniformity of cleaning.

In Example 15, the subject matter of Example 14 includes the subject matter of Example 14, wherein the controller module monitors the residual deposit proximate one or more filler plates of the reaction chamber to detect the uniformity of the cleaning, and wherein the one or more filler plates are further configured to be disposed at least partially on the one or more vertical surfaces.

In Example 16, the subject matter of Examples 14-15 includes the subject matter of Examples 14-15, wherein the controller module monitors the residual deposit proximate one or more slit valve ports of the reaction chamber to detect uniformity of the cleaning, and wherein the slit valve ports are further configured to be disposed at least partially on the one or more vertical surfaces.

In Example 17, the subject matter described in Examples 11-16 includes the subject matter wherein the at least one flow characteristic is the pressure within the reaction chamber during delivery of the cleaning gas, and wherein the controller module is further configured to control the duration of an open period and the duration of a closed period of the gate valve of the reaction chamber to regulate the pressure within the reaction chamber, wherein the gate valve opens during the open period and closes during the closed period.

In Example 18, the subject matter recited in Example 17 includes the subject matter described in Example 17, wherein the controller module is further configured to initiate the closing period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches a lower threshold, and to initiate the opening period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches an upper threshold, wherein the lower threshold is about 1.2 Torr and the upper threshold is about 6 Torr.

In Example 19, the subject matter described in Examples 11-18 includes at least a second gate valve fluidly coupled to said reaction chamber and said pump. The at least one flow characteristic is an effective pumping rate of the reaction chamber, and the controller module is further configured to control an open period duration and a closed period duration of the gate valve of the reaction chamber and an open period duration and a closed period duration of the at least second gate valve to regulate the effective pumping speed within the reaction chamber, wherein the gate valve and the at least second gate valve open during the open period and close during the closed period.

Example 20 is a method of removing residual deposits from a reaction chamber. The method comprises supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS), the cleaning gas forming a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber, detecting cleaning uniformity associated with removing the residual deposits from the reaction chamber by the cleaning gas, and controlling an open period duration and a closed period duration of a gate valve of the reaction chamber based on the cleaning uniformity to adjust an effective pumping rate of the cleaning gas. including doing.

In Example 21, the subject matter of Example 20 includes the subject matter of Example 20, wherein detecting the cleaning uniformity comprises monitoring the residual deposits proximate to one or more sensors mounted on at least one surface of the reaction chamber.

In Example 22, the subject matter recited in Examples 20-21 includes the subject matter according to Examples 20-21, wherein detecting uniformity of the cleaning comprises monitoring the residual deposits proximate one or more slit valve ports or one or more filler plates of the reaction chamber, wherein the slit valve ports and the one or more filler plates are disposed at least partially on one or more vertical surfaces of the reaction chamber.

Example 23 is at least one machine-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to perform operations to implement any of Examples 1-22.

Example 24 is an apparatus comprising means for carrying out any of Examples 1-22.

Example 25 is a system for carrying out any of Examples 1-22.

Example 26 is a method for carrying out any of Examples 1-22.

Throughout this specification, multiple examples may implement components, acts, or structures described as a single example. Individual acts of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate acts. However, one or more of the individual acts may be performed concurrently and there is no requirement that the acts be performed in the order presented. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in exemplary configurations may be implemented as a composite structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions and improvements are included within the scope of the subject matter herein.

The embodiments presented herein are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings of the present disclosure. Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, and structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined solely by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

The claims may not recite all features disclosed herein, as an embodiment may feature a subset of the features. Moreover, embodiments may include fewer features than disclosed in a particular example. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, and the claims stand on their own as separate embodiments.

As used herein, the term "or" may be interpreted in either an inclusive or exclusive sense. Moreover, multiple instances may apply to resources, acts, or structures described herein as a single instance. Moreover, the boundaries between various resources, operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary, and specific operations are illustrated in specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality are envisioned and may be included within the scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate resources in exemplary configurations may be implemented as composite structures or resources. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single resource may be implemented as separate resources. These and other variations, modifications, additions and improvements fall within the scope of the embodiments of the disclosure as indicated by the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims (22)

A method of removing residual deposits from a reaction chamber, comprising:
The method includes:
supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS), the cleaning gas forming a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber;
each gas flow streamline of the plurality of gas flow streamlines originating at an injection point fluidly coupled to the RPS for receiving the cleaning gas and terminating at a chamber pump port coupled to a foreline for exhausting the cleaning gas from the reaction chamber;
modifying at least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas to redirect at least a portion of streamlines of the plurality of gas streams to circulate proximate an inner perimeter of the reaction chamber to remove the residual deposits, the inner perimeter being disposed along one or more vertical planes of the reaction chamber, the one or more vertical planes being orthogonal to a horizontal plane of the reaction chamber containing the injection point. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein
the at least one flow characteristic is an effective pumping speed of the reaction chamber;
The method includes:
controlling the duration of an open period and the duration of a closed period of a gate valve of said reaction chamber to adjust said effective pumping rate, said gate valve being fluidly coupled to said foreline and a pump configured to effect said evacuation of said cleaning gas;
The method wherein the gate valve opens during the opening period and closes during the closing period. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein
The method, wherein the duration of the opening period of the gate valve is between about 1 second and about 2 seconds. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein
detecting cleaning uniformity associated with removing the residual deposits from the reaction chamber;
and controlling the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period based on the detected uniformity of the cleaning. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein
Detecting the cleaning uniformity comprises:
monitoring the residual deposits proximate one or more filler plates of the reaction chamber, wherein the one or more filler plates are at least partially disposed on the one or more vertical surfaces. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein
Detecting the cleaning uniformity comprises:
monitoring the residual deposit proximate one or more slit valve ports of the reaction chamber, wherein the slit valve ports are at least partially disposed on the one or more vertical surfaces. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein
Detecting the cleaning uniformity comprises:
detecting the thickness of the residual deposit using at least one residue sensor, the at least one residue sensor mounted on the one or more vertical surfaces of the reaction chamber;
controlling the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period based on the detected thickness of the residual deposit. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein
the at least one flow characteristic is pressure within the reaction chamber during delivery of the cleaning gas;
The method includes:
controlling the duration of an open period and the duration of a closed period of a gate valve of said reaction chamber to regulate said pressure within said reaction chamber, said gate valve being fluidly coupled to said foreline and a pump configured to effect said evacuation of said cleaning gas;
The method wherein the gate valve opens during the opening period and closes during the closing period. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein
initiating the closing period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches a lower threshold;
Initiating the opening period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches an upper threshold. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein
The method, wherein the lower threshold is about 1.2 Torr and the upper threshold is about 6 Torr. A semiconductor substrate processing apparatus,
The device comprises:
a remote plasma source (RPS) configured to generate a cleaning gas;
a reaction chamber in which semiconductor substrates are processed and residual deposits are formed, said reaction chamber being fluidly coupled to said remote plasma source for supplying said cleaning gas directly into said reaction chamber via a downtube;
a pump fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber via a foreline and configured to control the exhaust of the cleaning gas from the reaction chamber, the foreline terminating at a chamber pump port of the reaction chamber;
a gate valve fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and the pump through the foreline;
a controller module coupled to the RPS, the reaction chamber, the gate valve, and the pump, comprising:
The controller module is
causing the RPS to supply the cleaning gas into the reaction chamber through the downtube, the cleaning gas forming a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber;
each gas flow streamline of the plurality of gas flow streamlines starts at an injection point of the downtube and terminates at the chamber pump port;
a controller module configured to alter at least one flow characteristic of the cleaning gas and redirect at least a portion of streamlines of the plurality of gas streams to circulate proximate an inner perimeter of the reaction chamber to remove the residual deposits, the inner perimeter being disposed along one or more vertical planes of the reaction chamber, the one or more vertical planes being orthogonal to a horizontal plane of the reaction chamber containing the injection point. 12. A device according to claim 11, comprising:
the at least one flow characteristic is an effective pumping speed of the reaction chamber;
The controller module is
further configured to control the duration of an open period and the duration of a closed period of the gate valve of the reaction chamber to adjust the effective pumping rate of the reaction chamber;
The apparatus, wherein the gate valve is open during the opening period and closed during the closing period. 13. A device according to claim 12, wherein
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said duration of said opening period of said gate valve is between about 1 second and about 2 seconds. 13. A device according to claim 12, wherein
The controller module is
detecting cleaning uniformity associated with removing the residual deposits from the reaction chamber;
The apparatus further configured to control the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period based on the detected uniformity of the cleaning. 15. A device according to claim 14, comprising:
To detect the cleaning uniformity, the controller module comprises:
and further configured to monitor the residual deposits proximate one or more filler plates of the reaction chamber, wherein the one or more filler plates are disposed at least partially on the one or more vertical surfaces. 15. A device according to claim 14, comprising:
To detect the cleaning uniformity, the controller module comprises:
and further configured to monitor said residual deposit proximate to one or more slit valve ports of said reaction chamber, said slit valve ports being disposed at least partially on said one or more vertical surfaces. 12. A device according to claim 11, comprising:
the at least one flow characteristic is pressure within the reaction chamber during delivery of the cleaning gas;
The controller module is
further configured to control the duration of an open period and the duration of a closed period of the gate valve of the reaction chamber to regulate the pressure within the reaction chamber;
The apparatus, wherein the gate valve is open during the opening period and closed during the closing period. 18. A device according to claim 17, comprising:
The controller module is
initiating the closing period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches a lower threshold;
further configured to initiate the opening period of the gate valve when the pressure in the reaction chamber reaches an upper threshold;
The apparatus, wherein the lower threshold is approximately 1.2 Torr and the upper threshold is approximately 6 Torr. 12. A device according to claim 11, comprising:
further comprising at least a second gate valve fluidly coupled to the reaction chamber and the pump, wherein the at least one flow characteristic is an effective pumping rate of the reaction chamber;
The controller module is
further configured to control the duration of the open period and the duration of the closed period of the gate valve of the reaction chamber and the duration of the open period and the closed period of the at least a second gate valve to adjust the movement or position of the streamline of the gas flow within the reaction chamber;
The apparatus, wherein the gate valve and the at least second gate valve are open during the opening period and closed during the closing period. A method of removing residual deposits from a reaction chamber, comprising:
The method includes:
supplying a cleaning gas into the reaction chamber by direct delivery from a remote plasma source (RPS), the cleaning gas forming a plurality of gas flow streamlines within the reaction chamber;
detecting cleaning uniformity associated with removing the residual deposits from the reaction chamber by the cleaning gas;
and controlling an open period duration and a closed period duration of a gate valve of said reaction chamber based on said cleaning uniformity to adjust an effective pumping rate of said cleaning gas. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein
Detecting the cleaning uniformity comprises:
A method comprising monitoring said residual deposit proximate to one or more sensors mounted on at least one surface of said reaction chamber. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein
Detecting the cleaning uniformity comprises:
monitoring the residual deposits proximate one or more slit valve ports or one or more filler plates of the reaction chamber, wherein the slit valve ports and the one or more filler plates are disposed at least partially on one or more vertical surfaces of the reaction chamber.

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